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By this point, you’ve probably all heard plenty about Tuesday’s election. About the governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia that went to Republicans, about the loss in Maine that overturned the legislative decision to allow same-sex couples to marry.
There was one piece of news that literally hit home with me on Tuesday–and that was the news that my North Carolina hometown, Chapel Hill, now has an openly gay mayor.
I often talk about what growing up in North Carolina was like for me–how in many ways my public high school experience there was pretty limiting. Being gay was just simply not an option in my teenage world in Chapel Hill. I didn’t know any gay people, at least not any that I could relate with. My peers and I were very focused on dating, and dating boys specifically. I was in the closet for more than three years after leaving home–it took a while to undo some of the socialization of my childhood and meet those queer folks who I did relate to and whose friendship allowed me to explore my own sexuality.
Chapel Hill is an interesting place within North Carolina because in many ways it’s much more liberal than the surrounding cities and regions. Jesse Helms, the well-known and always controversial former Senator representing North Carolina was often quoted for saying:

Why build a zoo when we can just put up a fence around Chapel Hill?

He was referring to the liberalism of my town–but what I’ve come to realize since leaving North Carolina almost eight years ago is that it is, in the end, all relative. Chapel Hill was liberal in comparison to the rest of North Carolina, but particularly for me as a young person there, that didn’t mean too much.
So now, looking back, I wonder if having a gay mayor would have changed things for me growing up. Would it have made me see that being gay was an option, even for a political figure? Would it have opened up my world a little bit?
Maybe not. But after meeting a young person from my high school at a recent presentation and hearing him say that things there haven’t changed so much since I left, I want to hold on to some hope that this could be the catalyst for a new reality for the young lgbtq people growing up in my town.

Allison Kilkenny and Jamie Kilstein, founders and stars of Citizen Radio, have taken yet another step into the media ecosystem. They have recently released their newest work, #Newsfail, a book that critiques why mainstream media continues to fail citizen consumers. Allison and Jamie’s hilarious work gives example after example about why we should expect more from our media, whether it’s why rape culture apologists shouldn’t be on air or why the LGBT movement should move beyond just securing marriage equality. #Newsfail mixes in high level analysis with every-day humor, once again proving that developing a critical lens can be great fun. Don’t take our word for it; seriously, pick up your copy soon!

In an effort to further the dialogue on fashion, adornment, and feminism, we’re doing a series of interviews with feminist designers and artists who create beautiful things to wear. Check out our previous installment here!

Mateo Guadalupe is an activist, artist, and all-around magical person. Most importantly for today’s purposes, though, Mateo is an excellent leatherworker, making gorgeous, high-quality leather harnesses, bustiers, and other assorted leather creations that manage to both be unexpected (in the best way) and pay tribute to queer leather histories. A browse through his etsy shop, Leather Coven, will have you lusting after occasions to wear Beyonce-inspired leatherwear and regal leathercrowns — and ...

In an effort to further the dialogue on fashion, adornment, and feminism, we’re doing a series of interviews with feminist designers and artists who create beautiful things to wear. Check out our previous installment ...

Most of my life, my gender presentation has been pretty feminine. I’ve always been interested in makeup, always interested in clothes. But there was a period of a few years when I toned it down: when I was first being introduced to feminism. I thought that if I was going to be a Serious Feminist, I would have to give up my “oppressive” eyeliner and outfits. It wasn’t until years later that I would come to realize exactly how misogynist that was, how deeply the devaluation of the artistic elements of fashion is actually due to its proximity to the feminine. And yet, even within queer and feminist community, this attitude persists. So in an effort to further the dialogue ...

Most of my life, my gender presentation has been pretty feminine. I’ve always been interested in makeup, always interested in clothes. But there was a period of a few years when I toned it down: when I ...